Carl Krawitt has watched his son, Rhett, now 6, fight leukemia for the past 4 1/2 years. For more than three of those years, Rhett has undergone round after round of chemotherapy. Last year he finished chemotherapy, and doctors say he is in remission.

Now, there's a new threat, one that the family should not have to worry about: measles.

Rhett cannot be vaccinated, because his immune system is still rebuilding. It may be months more before his body is healthy enough to get all his immunizations. Until then, he depends on everyone around him for protection — what's known as herd immunity.

But Rhett lives in Marin County, Calif., a county with the dubious honor of having the highest rate of "personal belief exemptions" in the Bay Area and among the highest in the state. This school year, 6.45 percent of children in Marin have a personal belief exemption, which allows parents to lawfully send their children to school unvaccinated against communicable diseases like measles, polio, whooping cough and more.

Carl Krawitt has had just about enough. "It's very emotional for me," he said. "If you choose not to immunize your own child and your own child dies because they get measles, OK, that's your responsibility, that's your choice. But if your child gets sick and gets my child sick and my child dies, then ... your action has harmed my child."

Krawitt is taking action of his own. His son attends Reed Elementary in Tiburon, a school with a 7 percent personal belief exemption rate. (The statewide average is 2.5 percent). Krawitt had previously worked with the school nurse to make sure that all the children in his son's class were fully vaccinated. He said the school was very helpful and accommodating.

Now Krawitt and his wife, Jodi, have emailed the district's superintendent, requesting that the district "require immunization as a condition of attendance, with the only exception being those who cannot medically be vaccinated."

You only think it's bullshit because you have no personal beliefs that go against vaccination.

Serious vaccinations like polio or measles? Of course. Fucking useless vaccinations like the flu shot? Of course not.

I've never been vaccinated in my life and I've never been cripplingly sick in my life. Never even had the flu.

I didn't vaccinate my son. This really doesn't effect me one way or another because I plan on private school.

But Why not let unvaccinated kids in schools? It's not like the vaccinated kids can catch any diseases right? They are vaccinated after all.

Quote from: PSU on January 28, 2015, 12:52:53 PM

I didn't vaccinate my son. This really doesn't effect me one way or another because I plan on private school.

But Why not let unvaccinated kids in schools? It's not like the vaccinated kids can catch any diseases right? They are vaccinated after all.

So you're just going to...hope your kid doesn't get a terrible disease that people shouldn't be getting in 2015? By not vaccinating your child, you're endangering the health and the life of children who can't get vaccinated.

Quote from: PSU on January 28, 2015, 01:50:18 PM

Quote from: Mad Max on January 28, 2015, 01:37:28 PM

Quote from: PSU on January 28, 2015, 12:52:53 PM

I didn't vaccinate my son. This really doesn't effect me one way or another because I plan on private school.

But Why not let unvaccinated kids in schools? It's not like the vaccinated kids can catch any diseases right? They are vaccinated after all.

So you're just going to...hope your kid doesn't get a terrible disease that people shouldn't be getting in 2015? By not vaccinating your child, you're endangering the health and the life of children who can't get vaccinated.

Yep, I'm just going to hope. So far, so good.

I do hope your child doesn't become horribly sick and face potential death at such an early age because of a stupid decision like to not vaccinate.